Carbon dosing - method testing started

You have a good point, in fact I considered 4 x HOB filters
with 1st one inlet on 1st tank- and outlet on 2nd tank
then 2nd one inlet on 2nd tank outlet on 3rd tank
then 3rd one inlet on 3rd tank outlet on 4th tank
final one inlet on 4th tank - outlet into a bucket and then pour contents of bucket or pump contents of bucket into 1st tank

that would certainly cycle all the water through all 4 tanks
but it would require a lot of monitoring because flow may not be even and some tanks could overflow in that scenario

so its manual every couple of days in order to try and establish common conditions

Steve

 

LOL, I thought of that too, but trying to match pumps = disaster waiting to happen

 

Kind of a wonky idea, but if at the beginning if you had bulkheads on the side of the tanks, and had them plumbed together with a ball valve in between each and once everything is equal, close the ball valves or cap the bulkheads.....

i dunno just a crazy thought i had.

 

Easy: overflow from each tank going into a sump (could just be a 5 gal bucket), then one pump split four ways as a return to each tank.

 

Both of these ideas, would certainly have prevented the amount of bucket filling and re distributing done thus far

Ill get some new images up at weekend
with the recent relocating of rockwork, I am now feeling better that the contents of all 4 set ups are reasonably uniform

Steve

 

Awesome Steve! Do you anticipate the start of the experiment anytime in the near future?

I did start Vodka dosing about 6 weeks ago after carefully researching and reading your thread, and I have to say that I'm very impressed so far. I did see a small (quarter size) patch of cyano develop after 8 days, so I cut back the dose and removed the patch, and it's been smooth sailing ever since. I also dose MB7.

Are you planning on "seeding" the systems with a good bacteria source, like MB7? Maybe you mentioned it somewhere and I missed it?

 

great news on the Vodka dosing working for you

I used uncured live rock, Sacul and ghost feed each one every day with half a dozen Ocean Nutrition micro pellets and either Microvert or Zoo PlanktonS - just a couple of drops of each

Im still testing 0 on PO4 and Nitrate (Salifert and Red Sea kits)at present it means the algaes are consuming those nutrients hence the artificial 0 on the test kit

I may use Microbacter, but if I do so, it will need to be on all 4 tanks
as I need to keep the variables between tanks limited to the carbon sources being used

I think I will try all 4 without using MB7 and asses results
and then re do the testing, next time using MB7 and see if that addition makes a difference to the amount of time effects can be seen, or makes any difference on which methods are improved by it
repeating the test once current test was deemed over just means getting a few new algae infested rocks, removing the carbon sources and then once again getting all tanks into similar states of uglyness before starting again only this time adding MB 7 to the equation

Steve

 

Steve you are a legend in your own time.

 

Thanks M- Ocean Man

and now for an introduction to the greens and reds, that typically cause people to either use GFO or consider carbon dosing

although I would not want a single rock from these in my main tank
I do think some of them are not all that unnattractive









the exception being this cyno, dino combo? it wins ugliest rock in the 4 tanks

 

THAT IS AWESOME! Great job steve, lol!

I'm sure John from reefcleaners might even pay you a few $$ for those pics! haha!